SHIFTY SHELLSHOCK Talked Sobriety Months Before Fatal OD

August 2023
Music Kept Me Alive
KNEKT.tv

Late Crazy Town frontman Shifty Shellshock was sober and happy a few months before his accidental drug overdose ... and seemed committed to staying on the wagon.

TMZ obtained footage from one of Shifty's final interviews before his sudden death, and he was talking sobriety with Mayra Dias Gomes.

The singer -- real name Seth Binzer -- was an invited guest at a Rock to Recovery benefit concert last August at the Fonda Theater in Hollywood, but he made a rare public appearance.

Chet Hanks Even Cokeheads Told Me to 'Chill!!!' Talks Deep Addiction

7/2/24
DRUG OF CHOICE
RAW TALK

Chet Hanks is opening up about his past drug abuse ... admitting he went overboard with his cocaine consumption, going as far as calling himself a full-on "cokehead."

Tom Hanks' son addressed his issues with cocaine during an appearance on Bradley Martyn's "Raw Talk" podcast. As he put it, cocaine was the drug he had the biggest problem with and compared himself to Al Pacino's "Scarface" character, Tony Montana.

Chet recalled his addiction getting so bad that "known cokeheads" would tell him he needed to "chill out." He says he even knew who the veteran druggies were when he ran into them at clubs, so he'd hit 'em up for coke.

Kevin Costner Getting High As Outer Space ... Needed Morphine on 'Hidden Figures!!!'

Kevin Costner blasted off on the set of "Hidden Figures" ... but instead of a rocket taking him to space he says need morphine to relieve pain.

The superstar actor sat down for an interview with People released Saturday ... and, he talked about the hit 2016 film about several Black women and their contribution to the space race at around the 17-minute mark.

KC -- who plays director of the Space Task Group in the movie -- says most of the shoot went just as planned ... until a bout of kidney stones wrecked him.

CRAZY TOWN'S SHIFTY SHELLSHOCK HOMELESS IN FINAL MONTHS

Seth Binzer -- the lead singer of Crazy Town -- was homeless in the months preceding his death -- according to his friend and sober coach Tim Ryan ... who tells us he was helping Binzer on his sobriety journey over the last few years.

As we reported ... the L.A. County Medical Examiner said Binzer - aka Shifty Shellshock -- died Monday at an L.A. home. According to Tim, Binzer was living in a tent in downtown L.A.'s McArthur Park, after bouncing from house to house following a recent relapse.

A SELFLESS SOUL
TMZ.com

He tells us his wife, Jennifer Gimenez from "Celebrity Rehab" ... received a call last week informing her of Seth's whereabouts and Tim was planning to fly to L.A. to help locate Seth in the park and get him back into treatment ... but sadly, it was too late.

Starbucks Sues Starbuds Flowers ... Weed Biz Copied Our Logo!!!

Here's a buzzkill for Starbuds Flowers ... Starbucks is taking the mobile marijuana biz to court and claiming it's ripping off the coffee brand's famous logo.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Starbucks is suing Starbuds for trademark infringement. Starbucks says Starbuds, which sells weed out of a converted food truck in New York City, is deliberately copying the iconic siren design logo.

It doesn't take a legal expert to see the similarities here ... but Starbucks goes ahead and lays it all out in their suit, claiming Starbuds' logo straight up jacked the double-ringed green circle and crown-wearing mermaid from their coffee brand, even using the same proportions.

CRAZY TOWN FRONTMAN SHIFTY SHELLSHOCK DIED FROM OD

Crazy Town's frontman Shifty Shellshock died from an accidental drug overdose after mixing prescription drugs with street-purchased drugs ... his manager has confirmed.

Howie Hubberman explained the singer -- real name was Seth Binzer -- really wanted to turn things around ... but unfortunately, no one had the tools to help him with his addiction battle -- including himself.

Howie added to PEOPLE, "Seth Binzer, after struggling with addiction and Crazy Town's rapid success with 'Butterfly,' never was able to reach out on a more successful level to deal with his addictions. We all tried, but ultimately we all failed, or Shifty would still be here."

Joy Behar Don't Drug Screen Biden ... Trump Needs Lie Detector Test!!!

PANTS ON FIRE
TMZ.com

Joy Behar says it's Donald Trump, not Joe Biden, who needs to be tested before this week's debate ... and she wants Trump hooked up to the polygraph.

We got "The View" host out Tuesday in NYC outside ABC Studios -- and our photog asked her about Trump challenging Biden to take a drug test ahead of Thursday's debate ... something DT floated in an attempt to suggest Joe is on PEDs, which is unfounded.

Trump's been attempting to fan the flames on this speculation about Joe before big public events -- but Joy's seriously downplaying those concerns ... and flipping the tables on DT.

SHIFTY SHELLSHOCK Crazy Town Singer's Death INVESTIGATED AS POSSIBLE OD

Crazy Town frontman Shifty Shellshock's sudden death is under investigation ... and law enforcement sources tell us cops are looking into the possibility of a fatal drug overdose.

We're told police and fire responded to Shifty's L.A. area home Monday afternoon, after someone stopped by the house and found his body on the floor.

Our sources say drug paraphernalia and a lighter were found near the body ... which is why police are treating his death as a possible OD.

Aaron Carter Estate Valued at 6 Figures (For Now) ... Likely Worth Much More

Aaron Carter was worth a fair bit of money when he died -- and we're now getting a sense of just how much dough there was in his pot ... a 6-figure amount, at least.

The late singer's estate filed new court docs, obtained by TMZ, laying out a partial inventory and appraisal that puts a dollar amount on what they say Aaron's estate was worth ... based on what they've been able to appraise thus far.

The estate says Aaron's valuables/assets are worth an estimated $757,400 ... as of April 2023.

Ryan Garcia 1-Year Ban For PEDs ... Haney Fight Result Ruled 'No Contest'

Ryan Garcia has learned his fate -- the boxing superstar has agreed to a one-year ban from the sport as part of a settlement with the New York State Athletic Commission ... and his huge win over Devin Haney is now officially a "no contest."

The org. confirmed the agreement to TMZ Sports on Thursday ... saying Garcia's legal team worked with the NYSAC to reach the solution to his performance-enhancing drug investigation.

Along with the ban, 25-1 Garcia will cough up his $1.1 million purse from the fight ... as well as a $10k fine.

Howie Mandel My Wife Wasn't Drunk In Vegas Accident ... She Was High on Edibles!!!

SETTIN' IT STRAIGHT
TMZ.com

Howie Mandel is setting the record straight on his wife's "tipsy" fall in Las Vegas, which left her in a pool of blood ... he says she wasn't drunk, she was just feeling the effects of some marijuana gummies!!!

The "America's Got Talent" judge joined us on "TMZ Live" Tuesday and told us the real story behind his wife Terry's nasty spill in their hotel room at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas.

Howie's clearing the air here because he and his wife are upset some media outlets claimed she was drunk when she fell ... an inference after Howie told "Live With Kelly and Mark" his wife was "tipsy" after a night of too much partying.

RILEY STRAIN CAUSE OF DEATH Revealed ... Autopsy Sheds More Light

Riley Strain's disappearance and subsequent death captured the nation's attention -- and now we finally know how he died ... as we've obtained his autopsy report.

According to the docs ... Riley's official cause of death is listed as drowning and ethanol intoxication -- with the manner cited as accidental. There's more info here as well ... including what his BAC was when his body was examined ... officials say a concentration of 0.228.

3/8/24
STUMBLING ON THE STREET

One other thing that his family might be interested in ... the autopsy report notes there was no evidence of significant trauma to his body. There were traces of THC found in his system as well.

EX-NBA PLAYER DARIUS MORRIS DIED FROM HEART DISEASE ... Drugs, Booze Play Factor

The cause of death for ex-NBA player Darius Morris has just been revealed ...  heart disease is the killer, with drug and alcohol use playing a big role.

Darius' official cause of death is coronary artery disease ... according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.

According to the ME's death investigation summary, obtained by TMZ Sports, drug and alcohol use was a significant factor in Darius' death ... specifically, the effects of cocaine, hydrocodone and ethanol.

Delonte West Appears Strung Out In Parking Lot ... Days After Arrest

NOT LOOKING GOOD
TMZSports.com

Delonte West has resurfaced following his most recent arrest ... appearing completely strung out while walking through a parking lot in Virginia -- and the video is heartbreaking.

TMZ Sports has obtained footage of the former Boston Celtics guard roaming around Alexandria around 7 PM on Thursday ...wobbling and putting his hand to his head.

We're told West -- who was wearing a t-shirt, basketball shorts, slides and a red cap in the video -- frequents the area ... and it's not necessarily a great part of town.

Hunter Biden Not Sweating Federal Conviction ... Date Night in L.A.!!!

Hunter Biden's seemingly taking his federal gun conviction in stride ... stepping out with his wife in Los Angeles just days after becoming a convicted felon in his federal gun case.

Check out these photos -- obtained by TMZ -- that show the First Son at Dan Tana's, an Italian restaurant in West Hollywood, Thursday night and, he looked pretty chill for a guy facing a long prison sentence ... waiting patiently in the lobby along with all the normies.

Hunter dressed casually for the occasion -- ripped jeans and a polo ... as opposed to the full suit we've grown accustomed to seeing him during his trial in Delaware.

Celine Dion Took Near-Lethal Doses of Valium To Cope with SPS

Nearly-Lethal Doses
NBC News

Celine Dion says one of the tougher parts of her Stiff-Person Syndrome battle includes fending off addiction to the dangerous doses of Valium she was taking to continue performing.

The singer opened up about her health journey during an interview with NBC's Hoda Kotb ... revealing she was prescribed the drug as a way to treat her rare neurological disorder.

Valium, or the generic diazepam, is used to treat anxiety, muscle spasms and twitches -- which she experiences with SPS -- so, she took the drug, literally, to ensure her live shows could go on ... but that eventually required extremely high doses.

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